Frederick m



I'. M. SMITH.v BRIDGE GATE.

(Normaal.)

'N5l 572,318.l

Patented Dec.' 1Q 1896:.

f 13'@ 05am/071 TH: Nonms Psrsns en.. PHoTaLn'Na. wAsmNnmN o c UNITED STATES PATENT CEEICE. v

FREDERICK M. SMITH, OF BAY CITY, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THOMAS E. "WEBSTER, CF SAME PLACE.

BRIDGE-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 572,318, dated December 1, 1896. Application filed October 8, 1895. Serial No. 565,013. (No modell) To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK M. SMTTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridge-Gates, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention refers more particularly to operating mechanism for that type of bridgegate in which the gates swing upon vertical pivots; and my invention has for its object to provide mechanism whereby the bridgetender from his usual position in the tower on the bridge controls at will the opening and closing of the gates.

To this end my invention consists, rst, in the novel application of a push and pull rod extending from near the position of the bridge-tender on the tower to the gates on the approaches, all in suchmanner that the movement of a lever by the bridge-tender operates the gates on both approaches, while at the same time the bridge is free to swing at all times.

` Further, my invention consists in the peculiar provision made for operating the admission-gates in advance of the exit-gates, whereby the traffic over such bridges, in which the rule is to keep to the right, is properly regulated, and, further, the invention consists in the peculiar construction, arrangement, and operation of the mechanical devices employed for obtaining these objects in a simple and efficient manner, all as more fully hereinafter described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of one half of a pivot swing-bridge with the approach thereto, showing the actuating mechanism of the gates in dotted lines as being located below the surface of the roadway. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a part of the operating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a vertical central section through the adjacent ends of the bridge and the approach. Fig. 4 are detail perspective views of the coupling members of the push and pull rod.

A is a walking-beam lever pivotally secured at or near the pivotal center of the bridge beneath the roadway.

B B are push and pull rods extending to opposite ends of the bridge at or near the center thereof and continuing beyond the same on the approach.

C are antifriction guide-rollers, through which the push and pull rods pass.

D are extensions of the push and pull rods located upon the approaches in line with the push and pull rods B.

E is an automatic coupling device between the adjacent ends of the push and pull rods B and D.

F are antifriction guide-rollers for the push and pull rods D.

G G are respectively the admission and exit gates for the vehicles, and H H' for the foot-passengers on one of the approaches of the bridge. These gates turn on pivotal gateposts I l', which are arranged in pairs adjacent to each other and are provided at their lower ends with intermeshing pinions J J for simultaneous operation centrally between the two pairs of gates, and on opposite sides of the push and pull rod D are located twov bed-plates K K', provided with the camgrooves L L', adapted to receive suitable guide rollers M M', respectively. These guide rollers are pivotally connected by means of links O O', respectively, With the push and pull rod D, and also carry the free ends of the transverse push and pull rods P and P. These push and pull rods P and P extend to the opposite pairs of gates, and each is provided with a rack Q, engaging the pinion of one of the 'pair of gate-posts, as shown.

As will be seen from Fig. 2, each of the cam-grooves L L' has one portion which is parallel to the push-rod D and a connecting portion which is inclined thereto, but the sequence of these inclined and parallel portions is reversed in the two cam-grooves.`

The coupling device E may be of any suitable description which permits the automatic coupling and uncoupling of the push and pull rods B and D in opening and closing the bridge. I preferably employ the construction shown in Fig. 4, in which the end of one of the push and pull rods, such as B, is provided with an upwardly-projecting lug R, while the other one is provided with corre- IOO l grooves.

sponding downwardly-project-ing lugs S S, which are a suitable distance apart to permit of the entering of the lug R between the two. The meeting faces of these lugs on both sides of the push and pull rods are beveled, as shown, so that when the bridge is opened or closed the lug R may readily couple or uncouple with the lugs S S, even if'the parts are slightly displaced.

The walking-beam lever A is connected with an operating-lever T in the bridge-tower (not shown) in any manner which permits of its being moved into the different positions required to open and 'close the gates. In'tlie drawings I show an a'rm'vU, connected `to .the walking-beam lever, and to the free endV of this is pivotally connected the push and-pull rod V, the free end `of which isprovided with a rack engaging with a'pinion W onv the end of a vertical shaft Y, extending upV into the tower, and to which the operating-lever T is secured, which, as in the vusualr construction of l such devices, may -be a-so-called quadrant-lever.

The parts being thus arranged, as shown and described, they are intended to operate as follows: `When the bridge'is cl'osed,'the operator through the lever T in his tower has full control over the opening and closing of the gates. If all the gatesfare open-and the push andpullbars BVD are coupled, the position 'of thepartsissuch that the cam-rollers 'M-M are inthe inner end. of -the-cam gates at the exit side during such' movement,

the 'gates onthe other-side, are rotated upon the pivots vand closed, this side being the one` which gives admission. -At the propermoment, when the bridge is cleared of its traflic,

f the operator then l gives a further; movement lto the lever T, and by this further movement the 'cam-rollerM will begin to act by travel` ing in the inclined portion of the slot L' and actuate' thegates which guard the exit, while the rollerM, traveling in the parallelk portion 4of the slotfL,holds the admission-gates in their closed position.

The outer end'` of the cam-groove L isvpro- .vided with a slight extcnsionL2 in a line parallel to the push and pull barI). By this means the push and pull bars-P P( are always locked 6 against longitudinal movement in any Adirecpushing upon the gate. y Thus whether the gates are open or closed thisinechanical de- `vice for operating the Asame acts at the saine tion and cannot-be vdisplaced by any force time as a locking device to'prevcnt the accidental displacement of the gates. In operat-l ing the gates thus successively one after the As soon as the operator'igives a .proper movement of the levertojc'lose the gatesfthe push and pull bar B and D is pushed site sides, ofa transverse push and pull rod extending from each pair toward the center of the approach and adapted to rotate the gate-posts, a guide-roller on the inner end of each push and pull rod, a cam-groove for each guide-roller, a longitudinal push and pull rod extending from the bridge to the 'approach and having actuating connection with the transverse push and pull rods, and a lever upon the bridge having actuating connection with said'longitudinal:push and pull rod, substantially as described.

2. Ina bridge-gate, the combinati-on with the 'approach'and the'gates therefor, having rotatable gate-postsarranged in pairs on opvposite sides, of a transverscjpushand pull -rod extending from each pair toward the center of the approach and adapted to operate the gates, cam-grooves in which the inner ends of said push and pull vrods are-guided,

af longitudinal push v'and pull rod under the -control of the bridge-tender from the bridge andextending*therefrom to the approach, links 'connecting the samewith the transverse push andpull rods, and an automatic coupling and uncoupling dev-ice in -said longitudinal push and pull rods, substantially -as described.

3. Inf'a-bridge-gate, the combination with the approach and theA gates thereupon, having rotatablevgate-posts arranged inpairs on 'opposite sides, of a-longitudinal push andvpull rod extending from near the pivotal center ofthe bridge to the lapproachl and provided with means under control of the bridge-tender -to operate the same, of transverse push and pull rods-upon the approaches-onopposite sides of the longitudinal push and pullrod l'and extending to the gate-posts to' operate lthe same, links connecting thelongitufdinal .pushand-pull rod with the transverse'push l gates thereupon, 'controllin g the admission and exit to and from the bridge of the transverse pushand pull rods P P', one for each Vset of gates the bed-platesfKfKhaving camgrooves guiding the inner cn'ds of said transve rse pushand.v pull rods and having inclined I and parallel portions reversely arranged in the two bed-plates, thc' longitudinal push-rod extending from the bridge to the yapproach and consisting of the separatelparts BD, the automatic coupling 4and uncoupling 'devices E, the links O O'vconn'ecting the push and IOO IIO

pull bars, and a lever on the bridge having actuating connection with the longitudinal push and pull bar, substantially as described.

5. In a bridge-gate, the combination with the approaches and the two sets of swinging gates on each approach, of the walking-beam lever A centrally of the bridge, the lever T and its actuating connection with the walking-beam lever A, two longitudinal push and pull rods extending from the opposite ends of the lever A to the approaches, and having the separate parts B and D secured respectively in guides upon the bridge and the approaches thereto, automatic coupling and uncoupling devices between the parts B and D and connections between the parts D and the gates whereby the two sets of gates on each approach are differently operated, substantially as described.

G. In a bridge-gate, the combination with the draw and approaches provided with swinging gates on opposite sides, of the bed-plates K K located between the gates, the camgrooves L L', having parallel and inclined portions, reversely arrangedin the two plates, the parallel extension L2 of the cam-slot, the guide-rollers M M engaging into said camgrooves, the transverse push and pull rods P P carried by the guide-rollers and adapted to operate the gates successively on opposite sides, and devices operated from the draw to reciprocate the guide-rollers in the cam-slots, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a draw and an approach thereto, of a gate on the entrance and onthe exit side of the approach, and a single means on the draw for operating both said gates one in advance of the other.

8. The combination with a plurality of swinging gates, of push and pull rods operatively connected with said gates extending from the gates toward each other, cams with which the contiguous ends of said rods engage, a push and pull rod, actuating connections between said last rod and said iirstmentioned rods, and means for operating said last-mentioned rod for operating said gates.

9. The combination with a plurality of gates, of a single operating device for said gates, and connections between said gates and device whereby the gates are differently operated.

l0. The combination with a plurality of gates, rods operatively connected with said gates, a single operating means for said gates, and cams interposed between said rods and operating means whereby the gates are differentially operated and locked in their opened and closed positions, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

FREDERICK M. SMITH. lVitnesses J. W. CUPIT, CORA R. BIABY. 

